Sudan capital to take measures against ‘illegal foreigners’

South Sudanese refugees wait for registration and assistance at El Waral site in Sudan’s White Nile state (UNHCR)

The Governor of Khartoum, Lt. Gen. Abdelrahim Hussein, has instructed security authorities to take preventive measures against violations “that may be committed by aliens in the state”.

After a meeting with the governor on Sunday, the Commissioner of Khartoum, El Radi Saad Hamid, told the press in the capital, that Hussein ordered theevacuation of “illegal foreigners” from the tripartite city.

“The governor directed the removal of the houses of foreigners and their illegal presence, in order to preserve the security of the state,” he explained. “He considers the security of the Sudanese capital a red line that cannot be crossed by foreigners.”

Hamid said that the security authorities and the police are taking the necessary measures to enforce the governor’s decisions and remove the refugee camps.

Refugee Affairs official Hamad El Jazouli reported earlier this year that the Khartoum government considered removing the refugee camps in the state.

South Sudanese refugees

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 35,700 South Sudanese refugees were reported living in Khartoum by 31 March this year.

Almost 390,000 South Sudanese have sought shelter in Sudan since December 2013, when civil war broke out in the world’s youngest country, after the country’s president accused the vice-president of plotting a coup against him.

UNHCR anticipates a continuous influx of South Sudanese refugees throughout 2017.